Unit 3 - Christianity Beliefs

Question 1

Omnipotent
How does God demonstrate this quality?
How does this influence Christians today?

Answer 1

• ‘Nothing is impossible with God’.
• ## God’s omnipotence is seen through his miracles performed by Jesus and the creation and the wonders of the universe
• Christians believe that they should follow God’s commandments as he has a plan for everyone.
• Christians will demonstrate resilience and determination when faced with a problem.

Question 2

Just
How does God demonstrate this quality?
How does this influence Christians today?

Answer 2

• God gave Moses the Ten Commandments outlining how he expected people to behave. He stated ‘let justice roll like a river’.
• ## ‘In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you’. (Matthew 7:12)
• ‘Love thy neighbour’.
• They will think about the consequences of their actions as they will want to be rewarded by God on the Day of Judgement

Question 3

Loving
How does God demonstrate this quality?
How does this influence Christians today?

Answer 3

• ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only
  Son’ - God was willing for Jesus to be crucified to save humanity.
• ## ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’
• Christians will try to love each other in their daily lives by treating everyone with care and respect
• Christians will ‘love their enemies’ to demonstrate agape – a self-giving love.

Question 4

What is Moral Evil?

Answer 4

suffering inflicted by people on each other (e.g. murder)

Question 5

What is Natural Evil?

Answer 5

suffering in the world caused by natural events (e.g. Earthquakes, Famine)

Question 6

What are the Christian responses to the problem of evil and suffering?

Answer 6

• Suffering is a punishment for wrong doing.
• Suffering is a test of faith in God.
• Suffering is a form of education for our souls.
• Suffering is needed for balance.

Question 7

How does The Trinity influence Christians?

Answer 7

‘The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all. Amen.’
This prayer is important to Christians as it unites Christians together and helps them to remember they are one in the Trinity.

Question 8

What do Christians believe about Creation?

Answer 8

• Christians believe that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the seventh
• Many Christians believe that although it may not be scientifically accurate, the account contains religious truth, explaining that the process of creation was God’s choice

Question 9

Why is the creation story important?

Answer 9

• God is the sole and omnipotent Creator.
• God created a universe that was ordered not chaotic / it was not created by chance (therefore
  human lives have meaning and purpose).
• Humans are made in God’s image, therefore we should remember that all human life has potential and we should treat everyone how we would wish to be treated.
• Humans have been given authority (dominion) over the rest of the created world, therefore they have a responsibility to treat everyone equally and to show all created beings, human and non-human, love and respect. This idea is known as stewardship.

Question 10

What are Christian beliefs about Resurrection?

Answer 10

• ‘I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen’
• Belief that like Jesus, they will overcome death through resurrection and be in an eternal state of joy.

Question 11

What are Christian beliefs about Judgement Day?

Answer 11

• Parable of the sheep and the
  goats
• Ignoring the needs of others has consequences. If you look after others then you will be rewarded.

Question 12

What are Christian beliefs about Heaven and Hell?

Answer 12

Heaven:
-being with God
Hell:
-eternal separation from God.
—
- ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’
- Determines their behaviour.

Question 13

What are Christian beliefs about Incarnation

Answer 13

• Jesus was God in human form is more important than the details of his birth
• The virgin birth gives evidence for the belief, shared by all Christians, that Jesus is incarnate – made flesh in human form, full God yet fully human and thus God the Son as part of the Trinity

Question 14

What are Christian beliefs about The Crucifixion?

Answer 14

• Jesus had to die to fulfil God’s commands for him.
• Without Jesus’ death, human beings could not be reunited with God and could not enter heaven
• Jesus’ sacrificial death would atone the separation of humans from God.

Question 15

What are Christian beliefs about The Resurrection of Jesus?

Answer 15

• Christians interpret his resurrection from the dead as the ultimate proof that he is the Son of God, showing God’s triumph over evil and death.

Question 16

What are arguments for the resurrection?

Answer 16

• There were many eyewitnesses that saw the tomb
  empty.
• The story can be found in the Bible.
• The tomb was empty. Neither the Jewish leaders nor the Roman government could produce a body to silence those who claim to see Jesus alive.
• There are separate eye witness accounts independent from each other.

Question 17

What are arguments against the resurrection?

Answer 17

• The women went to the wrong tomb.
• Peter was a coward as he denied Jesus

Question 18

Why is the resurrection important for Christians?

Answer 18

• Christians believe that the resurrection shows the power of good over evil.
• For Christians the ascension shows that Jesus is with God.
• Without the resurrection there would be no Christian faith.

Question 19

What are Christian beliefs about Sin?

Answer 19

• Adam and Eve disobey God’s command - Not to eat
  the forbidden fruit. This was the first (original sin).
• For many centuries, Christians believed that as descendants of Adam and Eve they were tainted with original sin and an inbuilt tendency to disobey God.
• So therefore God Christ offered salvation: cancelling
  out original sin and the promise of eternal life.

Question 20

What are Christian beliefs about Salvation

Answer 20

• Salvation by Works: to be accepted by God you need to obey the law. This means following the commandments laid down in the scriptures.
  –‘You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone’.
  —
• Salvation by Faith: salvation is achieved through faith or actively believing in God
  – ‘For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law’.

Question 21

What are Christian beliefs about atonement?

Answer 21

• Christians often see Jesus’ death as an atonement
• Christians believe that the relationship between God and human beings was so damaged that drastic action was needed for them to get to heaven; this was God’s self-sacrifice in the form of Jesus.